For the Expanse

Posted on Sun Jan 2nd, 2022 @ 10:34am by Katya

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Inconnu Expanse - Paradise Region

ON:

"Their central Fleet is pushing again!" One of the Sisters of Anh called out at the Tactical station.

"Use the canons, target the lead ship!" Katya commanded from her chair.

"The Irokari are breaking off to regroup, we need to cover them!" Malka relayed.

"Send message to Ertha to move her forces into position, we need to give the Irokari time to repair." Katya replied.

The battle between the Pact and the Resistance had continued long after the Pandora had escaped. It became a war of attrition, with both sides sending force after force against the other as they crashed hard together like two tidal waves meeting in the ocean. Neither side had gained any discernable ground in this time, with the Pact still kept from breaching Paradise's shield orbit, and the Resistance unable to fully dissuade the Pact's on-going assault.

Neither side was giving up.

However, word of the Resistance's defiance of the Pact had begun to spread around neighbouring regions. Though the Resistance had managed to enlist many to their initial fighting front, including the Irokari, the Anh'Iran, and a collection of small trade planets who wished to defend Paradise - other powers from within the broader Inconnu Expanse had stayed silent and uninvolved. The Delavi System joining the battle brought many more supporters from that region, uniting the two areas in solidarity and providing more support to the front. However, the loss of Qaraq and the departure of the Pandora had been seen as signs the Resistance may still fall. It was still believed that the Resistance's stand against the Pact was a suicide mission.

Then, as the days passed and the Resistance continued to hold off the Pact successfully, this began to inspire others from disbelief to motivation. The Resistance was working, it was actually resistance the Pact. Slowly, ship by ship, planet by planet, they began to join the fight as well, which helped to replenish the ships lost so-far in battle. They began to believe they could win and, began to believe *in* Katya and her allies. Katya had remained in the battle throughout, never breaking off unless absolutely necessary as she helped to coordinate the fight against the Pact. She had allowed her mother to fly the Fire Queen while she slept or ate in small parcels of time - though she never took too long to return. The moment the Pact pushed forward, she was there to push them right back, using her powerful canon as a deterrent. The Anh'Iran Fire Birds had been instrumental in cutting across the Pact's attacking lines, helping to keep them at bay.

Of course, the Pact powers had responded by added more of their own forces. What started as a small invasion fleet that was supposed to take Paradise very easily, was quickly requiring more ships to be diverted off patrols and away from their regions of the Expanse, to try to stop the invasion turning into a defeat. The deceased Thot Syn was quickly denounced as a failure, his blundering assault on Paradise seen as an embarrassment. The Breen, in particular, still believed themselves to be the superior side and had simply "not chosen" to commit their full fleet to the battle. This only helped to spread the notion that the Breen were frightened of the Resistance. Instead, the Breen had called upon the other Alrakis powers to step in - demanding more ships from the Tzenkethi and the Ravagers. The Talarians insisted they were helping by maintaining patrols. The Pact were still able to use their larger numbers to keep hounding the Resistance, bringing in more and more of their own ships to the battle. If there had been talk of cutting their losses, they were not ready to concede as yet.

And so, the battle had continued...

Back on the Fire Queen, Katya unleashed her canon and sent a blistering stream of energy to destroy a Tzenkethi fighter that was buzzing the Irokari ships. She smiled as the enemy vessel exploded.

"One more down!" She declared, as the rest of the Sisters cheered.

"My infant, you are receiving an incoming subspace communication." Malka called out from her station. "From the... Kch'tak Foundation?"

"Finally!" Katya breathed out, her body sore and tired after days of fighting. She was glad to hear from her supposed allies. Katya and the Kch'tak had made arrangements for the arms suppliers to join the Resistance, but so far they had been absent from the battlefield. "Take the Fire Queen off the front line for now."

The ship moved silently to the back of the battle, as immediately the other Fire Birds moved ahead and took up the forward position. This allowed Katya a moment to relax, and she released her grip on the control orbs and let out a large sigh of relief.

Malka stood and moved towards Katya's side, speaking in a hushed tone, "We know of these people. Your father has done deals with them, given our Sisters to them. They are not kind people, my infant. They care only for themselves and their business."

"I know." Katya sighed, "And Mauricio was wary of them too. But we need them now, my mother. I assume the Anh'Iran government is still not responding?"

Malka lowered her head and shook it, "No. Your father will not send more ships to help us. I have reached out to our other Sisters but they have been barred from joining."

"Then we must make other arrangements." Katya said firmly, looking ahead once more. "We cannot keep fighting the Pact into nothing. They have more ships than we do and are undoubtedly sending more by the hour. If their governments choose to fully invade Paradise's territory, we will be destroyed."

"I understand." Malka nodded regretfully, "I will send the call through."

Moments later, a slender, orange skinned male appeared on screen. He was wearing a long coat made of metal scales, with a large fin running up the center and splitting into a round collar around his head like a hood. His face was firm with patches of red around his eyes and mouth, indicating he was an elder amongst the Kch'Tak.

"Queen Katya." He demurred as he appeared on screen. "Many greetings and high salutations to you."

Katya bowed slightly, "Kch'Tak Chancellor. Thank you for reaching out."

The Chancellor nodded, "Our efforts to communicate sooner have been unsuccessful. But we have been hard at work since our last meeting."

This gave Katya a reason to smile, "Oh?"

"We have twenty of our Class A armored cruisers stocked and ready to deploy at your command." He said proudly. "They are our strongest ship, normally used for protective services. Plated hulls, dynamic shields, powerful phasers."

"Twenty ships!" Katya laughed with joy, "That could turn the tide, my friend! But... how?"

"We had built five on order from some music group who needed them. But apparently the band were detained by the Pact and thus, have defaulted on their payments." He shrugged. To default on the Kch'Tak was a grave error, even if it was out of their control. Still, it came at a benefit to someone else. "Normally we would auction the ships to the highest bidder, but we have chosen to build more, upgrade them to fighter class and deliver them to the Resistance."

Katya clapped her hands together, "Excellent!"

Malka heard the news nearby and knew she should be elated, but she also assumed that such a highly-prized gift would come at a cost.

"The Foundation believes the only acceptable Expanse is a liberated Expanse." The Kch'tak immediately said, giving a slight look towards Malka, whom he could see on screen. The telepathic Chancellor had sensed the Anh'Iran's hesitation. His orange skin riled at the break in pleasantries. "And we do not wish to see Paradise, or the Delavi system, fall into the Alrakis Pact's hands."

Katya looked to her mother, confusion and annoyance on her face, before she turned back to the screen. "Of course." She tried to interject.

Malka frowned, wondering why the Chancellor was so defensive.

"The Foundation is taking considerable risk by joining." The Chancellor said directly to Malka. "We do not make this decision lightly. Is this acceptable?"

Realising what was happening, Malka stood to address him. She figured if he was going to read her thoughts, she might as well say them out loud. "And what price will we pay for this?"

The Chancellor tilted his head, "As I have conveyed, the ships are a gift to assist Queen Katya's Resistance."

"And then what?" Malka boldly asked, stepping forward, "Will the Foundation expect payment at a later date for these ships? And if we cannot pay what you ask, will you consider that a default, too?"

"Malka!" Katya hissed, seething with embarrassment.

"No." The Chancellor said firmly. "You may not be aware, but we already owe Queen Katya a debt."

"Oh?" Malka looked to her daughter with confused eyes, "How?"

Katya gave a slight sigh, explaining to her mother, "One of the Chancellor's kin and her partner had a business on Paradise, a Tavern. They were executed by the Breen, leaving behind two children. With help from the Pandora, we were able to safely remove the children out of harm's way and return them to the Kch'tak."

The Chancellor bowed his head, "We are supremely thankful to you. And that Federation ship. Bani and Miro are home safe."

Katya merely bowed as well.

"That is warming news." Malka agreed stubbornly, "But the Foundation has remained silent until now. Why the change?"

"Because we, too, thought we could not stand against the Pact." The Chancellor agreed, "It seemed hopeless. Now Katya and Ertha have shown we can resist them. Together, they have shown themselves capable enough to shield the innocent against Alrakis tyranny."

"Capable?" Malka asked, Katya's gaze burning holes into her side as she could feel her daughter's disagreement.

"We are a business empire, after all, much like the Anh'Iran." The Chancellor said pointedly, knowing her people had only committed a small number to the Resistance. "Your own leader has not involved himself fully into this battle. However, The Foundation has seen the Resistance is a well-organised force, proven worthy in the fight. We are prepared to give up our weaponry and ships, knowing they will not go to waste."

"It will not." Katya replied immediately.

Seeing her daughter had already made her choice, and that the Chancellor seemed genuine in his position, Malka relented and she returned to her seat, "I apologise for my distrust." She said, without much apology in her tone. "I merely wish to protect my daughter."

"I understand." The Chancellor replied. "I have lost my granddaughter and her partner because of the Pact. It has taken me some time to resolve my grief into action. Perhaps too long?"

"No," Katya interjected, "You are coming at the exact correct moment."

"My gratitude to you, Katya." The Chancellor returned to looking at Katya, "Of course, my people are builders and technicians, not fighter pilots. You will need your own people to helm the crafts, but they only require a few crew each to successfully command."

"We have willing pilots." Katya nodded, "And with those ships, we can finally push the Alrakis Pact back into their own territory."

"The Foundation is hopeful of this." The Chancellor smiled, "We are considering other plans as we speak."

"If the battle goes our way, which I hope it now will, I invite you to Paradise to discuss how we can assist each other." Katya spoke hopefully. "The Federation ship also left us with some contracts that we may sign to create a more formal arrangement?"

The Chancellor demurred a smile. "How helpful. I look forward to such a day. Though you understand if I cannot come to Paradise? The site of my family's murder?"

"Of course, I apologise." Katya said solemnly, realising this was a bad suggestion. Though the Chancellor seemed not to take it to heart. After all, between her and Malka, she was the reasonable one in the conversation. "First, we must win this battle."

"We are in agreement there. I am informed the ships can align with your position in two cycles. Is that acceptable?" The Chancellor asked.

"Please, the sooner the better." Katya acknowledged. "Part of our front line is starting to get worn down and we cannot allow them to fall to the Pact."

"Then we shall expediate our arrival." The Kch'Tak nodded.

"For the Expanse!" Katya called out.

"For the Expanse." The Chancellor responded.

As the call ended, Katya was beaming with joy. She immediately opened up a communications line to the rest of the Resistance, "Attention all ships! We have received word that more support is in-bound. Twenty mighty ships from the Kch'Tak foundation are on-route to join the fight. With them, we should be able to push back the Pact from our region. We require skilled pilots and crew to helm the ships. We have two cycles to reorganize and prepare for their arrival. Then, we will launch an all-out push against the Pact. Be ready."

A round of "For the Expanse!" echoed out from the Resistance ships, with Malka and the Sisters of Anh on the Fire Queen joining in. Katya dipped her hands into the control orbs and smiled broadly.

"Let's get to work!" She declared.

OFF